It had been hundreds of years since a non-motorized vessel had traveled such a distance, guided only by the stars. Last weekend, a historic 18-day double-hulled canoe voyage was completed from the archipelago of Palau to Orchid Island, a remote feature in southeastern Taiwan.
The GPS-free team of eleven was led by Sesario Sewralur, who inherited the love of sailing from his father, legendary navigator Mau Piailug. The journey was co-sponsored by the Taitung County Government and the Micronesian Voyaging Society, as a cross-cultural exchange to honor shared regional conservation values and seafaring techniques.
Image retrieved from Taipei Times.
In Palau, living in harmony with the environment is at society’s core. The customary practice of bul empowers the Council of Chiefs, Palau’s highest-ranking group of traditional leaders, to place and maintain moratoriums on the harvest of natural resources to prevent overconsumption. Local fishing is generally prohibited based on these measures.
The island nation established the world’s first shark sanctuary in 2009. In 2015, it designated 80 percent of its waters as a national marine sanctuary. Earth Day is expanded to the entire month of April.
While Palau is known for its lush land and seascapes, impressive biodiversity lies in particular within marine ecosystems. A paradise for snorkelers and divers, Palau is home to some of the Indo-Pacific’s most thriving reefs, which constitute one of the “seven underwater wonders of the world.” Now say that five times fast.
Image retrieved from Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Palau is a prime tropical destination—but it’s just about in the middle of nowhere. Widespread sustainability efforts aim to offset the carbon footprint intensified by tourism. Many eco-tourism experiences involve nature excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences drawing on traditional knowledge and practices in such realms as culinary arts or handicrafts.
For visitors to Palau looking to gamify their stay in-country, Ol’au Palau is an app rewarding environmental stewardship with special access to local heritage sites. Though the transaction happens on a screen, it promotes on-site engagement for fuller meaning-making.
As of 2017, Palau also requires visitors to sign the Palau Pledge, a code of conduct stamped into their passports at international arrivals. Entry into the country hinges on signing on the line, promising to the Children of Palau to exercise awareness and shared responsibility for Palau’s ecological and cultural preservation.
Image retrieved from Palau Pledge website.
The Palau Pledge goes like this:
“Children of Palau, I take this pledge, as your guest,
To preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.
I vow to treat lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully.
I shall not take what is not given.
I shall not harm what does not harm me.
The only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away.”
According to Palauan legend, a two-headed eel grew with one head on either side of a rock, each unaware of the other. The snakes starved as they pulled each other to go after prey, before realizing they were linked. Only then did they put their heads together, working together to thrive.
We are already aware we are linked. Palau may be one of the most isolated countries on earth, but we are all connected by the waters which lap at its shores.
The Palau Pledge is a refreshingly humanitarian immigration policy, inspiring us to respect and protect our surroundings both near and far. Should other countries follow Palau’s lead?
